The Ashes: England head coach Brendon McCullum facing biggest challenge after two-day thrashing by Australia, says Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad reflects on England's batting collapse-induced drubbing in Perth, looking at how coach Brendon McCullum will deal with defeat; Broad says Zak Crawley will be "devastated" after two ducks and says tourists were "poor" with the ball as Travis Head smashed Australia to victory
Sunday 23 November 2025 15:10, UK
Stuart Broad says 'psychologist' Brendon McCullum faces his biggest challenge yet as England head coach as he tries to rally his side following their capitulation in the first Ashes Test at Perth.
England crumbled with the bat in both innings at Optus Stadium before Travis Head's 69-ball century - the second-fastest in Ashes cricket - powered Australia to a remarkable victory inside two days.
McCullum's tourists now have a lengthy break between now and the second Test - a day-nighter in Brisbane from December 4 - with former England seamer Broad telling the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast how they may attempt to process the loss and move on.
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- What now for England after abject Ashes implosion in Perth?
- Ben Stokes 'shellshocked' after England's two-day drubbing
- Australia thump England in two days after tourists collapse
- 'Disgraceful, awful' - your views after England's thrashing
Broad said of McCullum: "When I look at him I don't necessarily say 'cricket coach', I think more of a psychologist, a manager of the minds.
"This is now his biggest challenge as England coach without a doubt. You come to Australia full of hope, get ahead of the game and throw the game away.
"What he tends to do is sit you all in a big circle and go around the group, getting opinions from everyone.
"I am absolutely certain he will mention how England got themselves in a wining position and he will have evaluated the collapse in the second innings as 'we know we have to do better'.
"He will be aware he has a lot of work to do on the psychology of the guys. A lot of work to do with Zak Crawley, who must be devastated."
'England outsmarted and weren't committed enough with shots'
Crawley bagged the first pair for an England opener since Michael Atherton in Johannesburg in 1999, out driving Mitchell Starc in the first over of both innings - Starc taking a superb caught and bowled second time around leaping one-handed to his left.
However, much of the frustration was on Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Joe Root dismissed driving on the up in England's second knock as the away side lost three wickets for no runs in six balls as part of wider collapses of 4-11 and 6-39 to be rolled for 164.
Broad added: "There is no way England will hide that and say, 'that's the way we play'. That is not the way they play, they were soft dismissals.
"Brook and Pope didn't get out to outrageously aggressive shots. Brook's was wafty. So they may feel they weren't committed enough, Root the same.
"If the guys left those balls alone for half an hour, that is still committed, so I think McCullum will be disappointed those conversations didn't happen quickly.
"Australia tactically outsmarted them. The percentages playing like that were not in England's favour and you have to credit Australia for going to it.
"It's obvious that they are now going to go fuller and wide to the middle order and then bowl short. England need to find a way to cope with that."
England 'poor' with the ball as Head ran riot
England's five-man pace attack of Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and captain Ben Stokes had rattled Australia on day one but were down on speed and accuracy the following day as Head's onslaught, which featured 16 fours and four sixes, left them, to use Stokes' word, "shell-shocked".
Broad said of the second-innings bowling: "Did England try too hard? Were the bowlers thinking they have to get 10 wickets so they have to bowl magic deliveries?
"I thought Mark Wood, particularly, was overstriding and that is just the desperation to get to the crease.
"When the pressure is on you almost have to try and relax a bit more, be more patent but they were shocked to see Head at the top. They shouldn't have been jaded but nerves and emotion drain you in the first Ashes Test.
"I don't think Stokes bowled himself early enough, while when someone is going like Head was is there a chance to slow things down, give him the one, and then when Marnus Labuschagne gets on strike you bowl five dots and then give him the one?
"Then Head doesn't face many balls in 40 minutes, doesn't find the boundary and might make a mistake. But every time Labuschagne got on strike we bowled a leg-stump half-volley that he clipped to square leg and he is off strike.
"It was a poor bowling performance, within an unbelievable batting display from Head."
Australia pounce after England 'open the door'
On the harrowing defeat, Broad added: "Australia were superb but England opened the door. When you talk about not just playing against the Australia cricket team but playing against Australia it's that moment where that comes in.
"The crowd erupted, everyone was celebrating with their mates. When Jamie Smith came out to bat, you thought, 'you've never been in a situation like this before'.
"It was England's best opportunity for a long time coming to Australia, with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood missing [the first Test] through injury and a lot of confusion around what was happening at the top of the Australia order.
"The game was won by two outstanding individual performances, from Travis Head and Mitchell Starc, with a bit of magic dust thrown in from Scott Boland in one spell.
"You wouldn't say it was an outstanding team performance from Australia."
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26
All times UK and Ireland
- First Test (Perth - November 21-25): Australia beat England by eight wickets
- Second Test (day/night): Thursday December 4 - Monday December 8 (4am) - The Gabba, Brisbane
- Third Test: Wednesday December 17 - Sunday December 21 (11.30pm) - Adelaide Oval
- Fourth Test: Thursday December 25 - Monday December 29 (11.30pm) - Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Fifth Test: Sunday January 4 - Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) - Sydney Cricket Ground
